1. Facebook Launches 'Campaign Ideas Generator' to Help US with Our Promotional Efforts - Facebook has launched a new Campaign Ideas Generator mini-site, which aims to help spark inspiration for our promotional approaches through various insights, templates and recommendations, specific to seasonal events and business types. 

As explained by Facebook: "The Campaign Ideas Generator provides campaign ideas, pre-made assets and resources that are specific to your small business needs."

To get started, first head to the Campaign Ideas Generator website and select your business vertical and promotional focus. Select your business type, and what time of year you're looking to run your promotion. Not all verticals are listed. Choose the right details, then click 'Get Campaign Ideas' and Facebook will provide you with a range of pointers and notes to guide you in the right direction.

2. Facebook Revenue Grows in Q2, but DAUs are shrinking in Europe and the US - Facebook has published its latest earnings results, which show steady overall increases in both users and revenue. First off, on users - Facebook added 30 million more daily active users in Q2, taking it to 1.91 billion on average. That's in line with Q1, with Facebook continuing to add significantly more users in the Asia Pacific region, despite a slow down, and even a reversal, in other markets. Facebook's DAU count has stalled in the US entirely, after declining in Q2 last year, while it's also now receding in Europe as well. Does that mean that people in Europe and the US are gradually moving away from Facebook, and looking to other apps instead?

Facebook ad prices are rising, which is another element to consider - so while Facebook's daily active user count is stalling, Facebook's charging more for ads. That's largely driven by demand,

On the revenue side, Facebook brought in $29 billion for the quarter, a new record high for the company. Advertising remains its key revenue driver, bringing in more than 98% of its overall revenue intake, but it is still seeing steady income developing from its 'Other' bets.

3. Instagram ‘Reels’ now Allows 60 seconds videos - On July 27, 2021 Instagram announced that the Reels length limit is being extended from 30 seconds to 60 seconds for all users. Given that TikTok now enables the upload of longer clips (up to 3 minutes), and YouTube Shorts can also be up to 60 seconds in length, it seemed like it was only a matter of time before Instagram followed the trend.


4. LinkedIn Business Highlights from Microsoft’s FY21 Q4 Earnings - On July 27, 21 Microsoft announced Q4 FY21 Earnings (basically for the quarter ending on June 21). Included in the report on the financial performance were the following LinkedIn highlights: 

In Q4 FY21, LinkedIn’s revenue surpassed $10 billion for the first time, up 27%. This is a testament to how mission critical the platform has become to help people connect, learn, grow, and get hired over the course of their careers.

In the five years since the Microsoft acquisition, revenue has nearly tripled, and growth has accelerated. LinkedIn has become a leader across multiple secular growth areas spanning B2B advertising, professional hiring, corporate learning, and sales intelligence.

LinkedIn has more than 774 million members who are more engaged than ever; sessions were up 30% this quarter, compared to a year ago.

LinkedIn’s advertising business surpassed $1 billion in revenue this quarter for the first time, up 97% year over year, growing three times faster than the category.

LinkedIn also has this new program where they are working directly with Creators. How do I know this? Well yours truly has been contacted by a LinkedIn Creator Manager. More details in the podcast.

5. New Ways for Creators to earn money and Partner with brands on Pinterest - Now, Pinterest users can turn idea pins into shoppable pins. When other users buy a tagged product after clicking a link in an idea pin, the user who posted it will earn a commission. Users can tag their idea pins with any of the millions of product pins on Pinterest. According to company data, users are 89% more likely to exhibit shopping intent on products tagged in idea pins than on standalone product pins. Pinterest also reports that engagement with idea pins is nine times higher on average compared to standard pins.


6. Twitter Announced #TheCreatorSessions - Twitter will be hosting #TheCreatorSessions from August 304, 2021. DM @ArtHouse for an invitation to the event. As per announcement, expect Special Creator guests, Inspirational stories, Tips on monetization and Sneak peeks on upcoming features.


7. Twitter’s Shop Module pilot adds a product carousel to profiles - Twitter has launched Shop Modules, a dedicated section at the top of profiles where brands can showcase their products, as a pilot, the company announced on July 28, 21. The Shop Module pilot is currently rolling out with a handful of brands in the U.S., and only people in the U.S. who use Twitter in English on iOS devices are currently able to see the module.

The Shop Module is a carousel of products. Tapping on a product takes the user to the associated product detail page (in an in-app browser, so they aren’t leaving Twitter), where they can learn more and/or complete the purchase.

The Shop Module pilot is currently not open for businesses to sign-up.

“We’re creating deeper partnerships with businesses that reflect whom we’re building for with a new Merchant Advisory Board,” the company said in its announcement. The board will consist of “best-in-class examples of merchants on Twitter” and the company hopes to utilize this advisory board to address the needs of businesses of various sizes and across verticals in its own product innovation.

 

8. Snapchat Launches New 'Campaign Lab' to Help Guide Marketers on Best Snap Ads Approaches - Snapchat is looking to provide more guidance for brands seeking to maximize their Snap ad performance with a new element called 'Campaign Lab', available within Snap Ads Manager, which will enable marketers to run split tests, view full results, and get recommendations on next steps.

Users can access Campaign Lab from the 'Analyze' section of the Snapchat Ads Manager navigation menu, which will take you through to the main screen (above). The main window will also display a listing of recommendations based on previous tests as to what steps to take next.

Within the Results listings, you'll also be able to see more in-depth data on each of your tests, helping to refine your focus. While you'll also be guided towards next steps based on that data, making it easier to understand the best approaches. It could be a handy tool for refining your creative assets, which is probably particularly helpful on Snapchat, where winning creative is key to holding audience attention.

Campaign Lab is available in Snap Ads Manager from July 29, 21.

9. Microsoft Bing Ad Revenue Grows 73% - Microsoft reported a 53% increase year over year with an increase in $737 million for its search advertising business. Microsoft wrote "Search advertising revenue excluding traffic acquisition costs increased 53% (up 49% in constant currency)." It added "Search advertising revenue increased $737 million or 46%. Search advertising revenue excluding traffic acquisition costs increased 53% driven by higher revenue per search, on a low prior year comparable."


10. Google Ad Revenue Grows 69% - Google had a 69% increase year over year from $29.8 billion to $50.4 billion in the Google Advertising column of the earnings statement. Overall, Alphabet has reported revenues of $61.9 billion, up 62% Year-on-Year, on an operating income $19.3 billion, up 31% year-on-year.